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Wu Zhong 吴钟
Wu Zhong was a Hui Muslim man from Zhuangke village, QingYun county (originally part of Cangzhou city in Hebei province, but is now part of Dezhou city in Shandong province), who is considered to be the founder of martial art of Bajiquan. He was the first person to teach Bajiquan in Hebei and Shandong. Names Wu Zhong 吴钟 HongSheng He was also referred to as "King Of The Spear" in Zhuangke village in Qingyun county. He also went by the titles "Divine Spear"/"Magic Spear" (Shen Qiang) as well as "God of Spear".Bajiquan (Eight Cardinal Boxing) and Liuhe (Six Harmony Spear) - Journal of Chinese Martial Studies 01.2009 Biography Early Life Wu Zhong was born in 1712 and lived during the reigns of the emperors Kangxi and Yong Zhen. Origins of Bajiquan The story surrounding who Wu learned his kungfu from is subject to much debate with various sources and various schools of bajiquan giving different accounts. Most sources, however, name the Taoist wandering monk Lai (癞, lài, "Leprosy") and his disciple Pi (癖, pǐ, "Craving") as the ones who came to MengCun and taught Wu Bajiquan and LiuHe DaQiang. While the story of Lai and Pi is open to some debate, it is accepted that Wu traveled much throughout his life and that these two names may simply be symbolic of the knowledge that he acquired over his life and travels.Brief History of Baji Quan - Wu Family Bajiquan As the practice of martial arts gradually recovered, following the Cultural Revolution, and as interest in Bajiquan increased, particularly following the 1980s, people began to research the origins of the style in greater detail. Central to this discussion was the identity of Lai and Pi, and whether or not they actually existed. Various authors have linked Bajiquan to the Shaolin temple in SongShan, the YueShan temple of BoHai, Henan, the Taoist temples of WuDangShan, HuBei and even Ding FaXiang (丁发祥, 1615 – 1694), another famous martial artist from MengCun village. These hypotheses are generally, however, only supported by oral testimony or post 1950 documentation, leading credence to the theory that many of these origin stories are attempts to "cash in" on the economical potential of laying claim to the "original/authentic Bajiquan". Alternative Claims SongShan Shaolin Temple Alternative Claim: WudangShan Temples Alternative Claim: Zhang YueShan/YueShan Temple One story, given by Ma FengTu, explains that Wu perfected his spear play thanks to Zhang YueShan of YueShan Temple. Unfortunately, historical records do not seem to provide much evidence corroborating Ma's testimony or indicating that LiuHe DaQiang, Bajiquan or any other martial art were practiced at YueShan temple. According to Ma, Wu is said to have learned the principles of LiuHe DaQiang from Zhang. Prior to this, Wu was already proficient in wielding a spear, but was not familiar with the principles of Liuhe DaQiang, and it was Zhang who taught these to him; specifically "the combined methods of advance and retreat" (進退合戰之法 jintui hezhan zhi fa). Following the encounter, Wu would continue to perfect his skills, later proving himself in Beijing and Tianjin where he earned his nickname "Divine Spear" after defeating a number of well known spear masters. After this, Wu's Bajiquan teaching would always include the use of LiuHe DaQiang. Additionally, he would set up a "paradigm" school for teaching martial arts in Zhuangke village, Qingyun county. Alternative Claim: Ding FaXiang Teaching Death Wu Zhong died in 1802. Legacy Notable Students * Wu Ying * Wu Rong * Wu ZhongYu Lineage Lai > Wu Zhong Pi > Wu Zhong References Category:People Category:Master Category:Wu Family Bajiqun Category:MengCun